Business and cultural ties between NJ and Israel run deep. Here is how

The world is watching the war in Israel, but New Jersey has a magnifying glass on it.

New Jersey has one of the largest Jewish populations in the country, and its state leaders have often touted a strong relationship with Israel. Many state officials have condemned the surprise attack by Hamas over the weekend.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his country to brace for a long war after the most shocking infiltration of the Jewish state in a half-century.

The attack fell on Simchat Torah, which marks the beginning of the annual cycle of reading the biblical scrolls of the Torah. It’s typically a joyous occasion marked by singing, dancing and festive meals.

“If you were under 50 years of age, Israel has not experienced anything like this,” said Rabbi Matthew Gewirtz, the senior rabbi at Temple B’nai Jeshurun in Short Hills.

Over the weekend, the synagogue hosted an Israeli solidarity rally with the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ Solidarity. Over 2,000 attendees showed up, Gewirtz estimated, as did Reps. Mikie Sherrill and Tom Kean Jr.

As of 2021, New Jersey had over 609,000 Jews — or 6.6% of its population — falling just behind New York, California and Florida, according to the Jewish Data Bank.

The first organized Jewish community was in Newark in the 1840s, according to the Jewish Virtual Library. The late 19th and early 20th century saw an influx of Jewish immigrants fleeing persecution in Europe, according to the library. Many settled in urban centers like Paterson, Newark and Camden.

“They came to Ellis Island, and so it made sense, you get into Ellis Island and you settled where you land, and that’s New York and then New York turns into New Jersey and New York turns into Connecticut,” Gewitz said.

Business partnerships

Trade between New Jersey and Israel was valued at $1.72 billion in 2022, according to figures provided by Gov. Phil Murphy’s office.

“Israeli investment in New Jersey is making an impact on its economy and supporting job creation, while providing a strong base and foundation for further growth in the United States for Israeli companies,” Anat Katz, Israel Economic Minister to North America, said in a statement in April.

Several Israeli companies have major operations in New Jersey, according to Mark Levenson, who co-chairs the New Jersey-Israel Commission.

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They include software company Nice Corporation, fintech company Bluevine, data storage company Own Backup, telecom company DriveNets, automotive inspection company UVeye, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and telecom systems company Pente Networks.

The commission connects businesses with other organizations like Choose New Jersey or the New Jersey Economic Development Authority with help in "finding talent, seeking incentives, cutting red tape," said Levenson, who also chairs real estate law at the law firm Sills Cummis & Gross.

Choose New Jersey is a nonprofit that promotes the Garden State to businesses around the world. Choose NJ's board of directors is made up of representatives of some of the state’s largest businesses, utility companies, labor unions and financial organizations. The NJEDA runs the state’s financial assistance and economic incentive programs for large and small businesses.

Murphy toured Israel in 2018 as part of an economic mission to the Jewish nation-state. During the trip, he visited the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site, and met face to face with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Murphy followed in the footsteps of his predecessors — Republican Chris Christie and Democrat Jon Corzine — who both embarked on trade missions to Israel during their terms. The trip was paid for by Choose New Jersey.

Academic relationships

There are two academic partnerships between New Jersey and Israel, one between Ben Gurion University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and another between Rutgers University and Tel Aviv University.

Both have a significant focus on science, engineering, technology and math, or STEM, according to a report put out in August by the New Jersey-Israel Commission.

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Choose NJ and the Israeli consulting firm Peres and Associates opened an office in Tel Aviv in March — the New Jersey Israel Center — to grow “commercial, academic and cultural collaborations” between Israel and New Jersey.

There are six employees working at the NJIC, who are Israeli citizens, though they are not New Jersey employees, but rather work for Peres and Associates.

“I have been in contact with members of the New Jersey Israel Center, including its director, Nadav Tamir, and members of my team have been in touch with their NJIC colleagues,” Choose NJ CEO Wesley Matthews said in a statement. “Thankfully, our team in Israel is safe and accounted for.”

Daniel Munoz covers business, consumer affairs, labor and the economy for NorthJersey.com and The Record. 

Email: munozd@northjersey.com; Twitter:@danielmunoz100

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Israel war: Business and cultural ties in NJ run deep